Please don't stop the music!!

     Are you one of those people who can never live without music? I am!
     If this question is being asked in a classroom, the scenario would probably be me raising my hand and shouting with a big meeee!
    Music is one of those things I would never survive living without, It has helped me go through stormy weathers, made me fall in love, calmed my fiery emotions, and turned my not so beautiful days into the most relaxing scenes ever. It's like my own personal oasis, and so I thought, why not find ways on how I can share my music to my fellow moms out there?
   Armed with only the internet, and with a little help of course from my friends mozilla, yahoo, google and youtube, I came up with this online radio widget from radio tuna.
    I customized my widget with my own favorite genre of music, like on the select music style button, there's the smoothjazz, which is really my kind of music, and to be honest? I can go on 24 hours a day just listening to it.  In the morning as soon as I wake up, the first thing that I do is to turn on some music, it somehow gives me energy to do all the chores intended for the day, and I will never ever get tired listening to this kind of music, It's relaxing, and whenever you feel upset? just try and listen to smoothjazz and I can guarantee your actions will have a favorable outcome. What about some really sexy smoothjazz music? I am so sure its enough motivation to get that romantic mood going hmmm!
   The second music style button that I selected is acoustic, because sometimes you also long for music that has lyrics in it? the type that you can actually sing along with.
   The third one is bass music, this type of music is the one that I listen to whenever I'm working out, it gets me all fired up and motivates me for more time to do my exercise, sometimes routine is done, but then again you hear some big pounding bass music and you will feel the urge to workout some more in the form of dancing, and that's really good stuff for our body.

   To sum it all up, music is life.. so why not stay tuned on dearmum online radio all day? happy listening mommiesss! ooopss! and daddysss too! yeah, why not?

love is always stronger than pride..

                                       
                                                      September.. do you remember? 

   My son invited me for an afternoon snack at the Festival mall in Alabang a couple of days ago, he doesn't get off until 2pm, got there much earlier so that I could still walk around, and probably do some window shopping too, walking in the mall is one of the few forms of exercise where I could go on for hours and not feel any exhaustion, that's what my dear husband always tell me, most specially when the whole place is filled up with big banners of red bold letters in the name of "SALE,"  and I would just kiss him in his cheeks, we would go separate ways, he doesn't want to follow me around, you know how women likes to keep checking out for best deals, he would just sit some place where there would probably be music playing, or lots of times, I would find him watching a "blind band" playing, he would be patiently waiting for me there, I just have to make sure that I come back for him when its time to eat, he hates feeling hungry. It's simple moments like these that I miss most, since he spends most of the year working onboard, but, whenever he's on vacation? we're inseparable!

   I was looking into some nice pashmina shawls, trying to feel the fabric if it was really authentic, when I see a familiar face walking right towards me, our eyes meet, almost running, screaming my name, she gave me a very tight embrace, seeing your childhood friend whom you haven't seen for like 20yrs or so is really cool!
   We decided to continue our chit chat at Max's, she said she craves so much for filipino food, she's been working overseas as a nurse and is just on a 10day leave to attend to some very important family matters.
    While waiting for our food, I asked her how she is and how is.. but, by then she immediately interrupted me and tells me that she and her husband are back together again. Naturally, I was shocked to hear that, I didn't know that they even separated in the first place, but I'm quite relieved to hear that at least they are together again, she then asks me how I am, and of course I told her that I'm good and that my husband and I are not together, she stopped stirring her iced tea upon hearing that, but then I told her that its only because husband is currently onboard, she laughs and tells me that I never change and that I'm still a very silly girl.
   What followed that laughing moment is a sudden change of mood, she sadly narrates how just when their family's financial situations improved, her relationship with her husband turned bitter, I have some questions going through my head but did not want to interrupt her, I just listened to her instead.
   She said that nothing hurts more to know that your husband to whom you have been married for twenty five years has been cheating on you. You think you know each other well, they're childhood sweethearts, and their families are friends too, never in her mind did she ever imagine that her husband would do a thing like that to her. Though she thinks she's partly to be blamed for it, (at the back of my mind I was thinking, most women whose husbands cheat, always try to blame themselves one way or the other).
   I tried to lighten her up by saying, hey, don't think much about it and that there's no shame in accepting him back, you have children and they need their father. I even teased her that maybe love is rosier the second time around, and she asks me with a tearful eye.. how do you compete with someone much much younger than you lyn?,  I didn't know what to say.. so I started sipping my buco pandan shake instead and I almost finished it with just one sip, that is some brain freezing moment!
   A few hours passed, and its time to say goodbye, she has her errands and so do I, she gave me one big hug again, I asked her if she has facebook so that we could get in touch, she said she doesn't have one and that she's not comfortable with it anyway, she promised to write me old school snail mail way, and I told her I would love that, a few steps away and she heads back at me, and she says, one final piece of advice from a woman who's seen it all.. always remember lyn, you can relax... but, never let your guard down! and as I watch her walk away from me, I thought no one is immune.

   A few moments later my son arrived and he asks me where I wanted to eat, he works now at the hotel and that he wants to treat me for a snack for a change, I can't help but feel proud that he has a job and that he's now being responsible. I told him how I accidentally met with an old friend of mine and that I am still quite full, but because I didn't want to let him down, I just opted for a blueberry cheesecake at sbarro's instead. I can't help but stare at him while he was eating, I told him about my friend's story and that how lucky we were to never have to experience those kind of heartaches as a family.

   I kept thinking.. marriage is the foundation of a family, if it is weak... the whole family collapses, and that two people vowed to go through this journey forever, they should work hard to make things work, fix small problems while you still can, they can magnify any moment, even if it means saying sorry first, remember.. love, should always be stronger than pride...

                                       "to catch a husband is an art; to hold him is a job"
                                                         Simone de Beauvoir
                                  

  
   

B+

   So what does it take to be a writer? If you can write about stories of people and poetry and put into paper everything that you have been imagining in your mind, does that make you a writer already? Are you suppose to follow certain rules? If you don't have formal education or a degree in writing, is there a place for you in this profession? so many questions..

   My mom would always tell me bedtime stories when I was a kid, I guess that also contributed to my wild imagination, she would tell me about the usual fairy tales, only, she would make some changes in characters or adds some new ones to make the stories longer, coz even as a kid.. I guess I am one tough customer and can't seem to get enough of them, I would always ask for another story and not be contented with just one each time.
   I would pretend to be sleeping, but on the contrary, I have my own story continuing the moment I close my eyes. Most of the time of course, I am the princess and I would be wearing all those beautiful clothes and jewelry, I would also imagine my most hated playmate to be the witch in my own version of it.
   This went on for some time, only this time, when I reached adolescence, I not only think I am the princess in some far away kingdom, I also imagine my prince, in case you are wondering my idea of what a perfect prince would look like, he goes with the name of Leif Garrett.

      Leif with his golden locks fit the perfect prince for me, as you can see I have very good taste when it comes to imagining characters of my own story. Its so sad  to know however, that things have been tough with him, he was really a big star during my teenage years, I even watched his concert here in the Philippines, my very first one actually, bought his souvenir shirt, magazines, and my bedroom filled with his posters, I really want my prince around you know, serenading me with.. either " I was looking for someone to love " or " When I think of you ", life was so much easier back then....

   My imaginary friends seem to have left me when I met my true prince, well... he's not exactly the way I imagined him to be.. but much much better.  We got married, had a baby girl, a few more years we had a son, and soon after that another girl. Time passed by and I got really busy raising my little family and making sure everything goes well, and that my little treasures' dreams come true, that I totally forgotten about mine. There were problems along the way, just like the many obstacles that every fairy tale character must conquer and just like them we stood strong. That has been the routine most of my life, I am truly thankful for what I have, though it isn't much.

   One night I started dreaming again, I vaguely remember what it was, but the dream was surreal, in fact I can even feel the part of my leg that was bitten by that huge serpent, truly magical! and, as what I would normally do even when I was still a kid, I did all my best to get back to my dream and do what I was supposed to do... I wrestled the monster and cut its head off! and that's when I knew that, my imaginary friends are back!

     I have always wanted to be a writer, but never knew how, and never worked my way to being one. I have only myself to blame and no one else. I have a few people in my life who believes in me, and you know who you all are. You all gave me a chance to find myself  and what's missing in my life, and for that I am thankful too.

   In my pursuit and vow to learn, I encountered inspirational words from the so called "masters of the literary arts" ,  Here it goes...

   " I was writing for seven years before the book was published "    J.K Rowling ( Harry Potter )
   " Writing is an exploration, you start with nothing and learn as you go"  E.L Doctorow
   " The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek " Joseph Campbell
   " start writing no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on"  Louis L' Amour
   " I would rather risk rejection and fail, than never try, and live with regret " Dianne Rosena Jones
   " A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit " Richard Bach
   " Being a writer is like standing naked in the High street hoping people won't find you ridiculous" Graham Storrs

    These inspiring words helped in giving me hope that it's never too late to achieve my dreams, after all, everyone seemed to have started out with John Lennon's " you may say that I'm a dreamer.. but I'm not the only one" attitude, and since dreams are free for those who wants it.. I'll focus with these two characters as I try to work my way in achieving it..

  
  

  
   

Techie or Senti? What kind of a gadget person are you?

   Technology is constantly changing, you see an ad of the latest cell phone or computer, you spend weeks or even months trying to save for that much awaited gadget, and just right after buying it, suddenly you see another gadget that's either faster or better than what you just purchased.
   If that just made your day miserable, then you are indeed suffering from COTD, or more commonly known under Dearmum's dictionary as.. Chronic Obsessive Techie Disorder.
   Okay,  I just made that up! but don't be surprised if you see that come up on Wiki tomorrow after reading this blog.

   Anyway, who wouldn't fall in love with say a Smartphone? This device is a cell phone and a mini computer in one. It literally has a Processor and RAM that lets us do multi tasking like accept calls, browse the web, and play application games here and there. I even stumbled upon certain applications that lets Smartphones act as a hair blower, or a ghost tracker.. how cool is that?

Only problem is.. these high tech dudes have lots of activity going on, So...goodbye batteries!
Some of you might be thinking.. so what? just charge it then, of course! but what if there's no electricity? have you thought of that? hmmmm it's time for my old school babies to come into the picture.
                             

                                               These old school techs saved my day.

   Philippines sits astride a typhoon belt, which makes it so vulnerable to dangerous storms, so every now and then expect something around 20 storms to visit our country every year.  And just recently, typhoon Saola with its maximum sustained winds of around 120 kilometers per hour battered our country and left us with what every "internet addicts" are afraid of.. No Electricity!!

  So while this is the time where we look for ways to amuse ourselves with almost anything like playing those installed game applications on our phones, or chat with friends, whether we like it or not, our most beloved cell phones or laptops batteries will be drained, and since there's no telling as to when the electricity will be restored, these high tech dudes are useless.

   My kids literally gave me the loudest laugh when they saw me with my headphones on in my old Toshiba Walky, but that wasn't long until both their so called "precious" smartphones start to lose battery and are left with nothing but to stare and wait for me to let them use mine..

   Finally, when it's my turn for my "ultimate revenge", I pretended not to hear them and started humming to that music playing on my old tech gadget while texting unlimited to my friends on my old school Nokia cell phone, my Walky operates on two triple A's and could last for days.. they are left with nothing! sweet sweet revenge! but of course I was just teasing them.. a mother would always sacrifice her own for the love of her children, and on my usual grin.. I handed them over my old tech babies... while I tell them..be careful with those!

   So you see there's really nothing wrong with embracing what technology has to offer, why should we choose between new tech and old tech, when we can have both, all I'm saying is that, most good things really do last so don't throw them away!

   Anyhow, here are some additional tips on how you can maximize your Smartphone batteries:

   1) Find and use your phone's energy saving settings.
        - settings- about phone- battery use, and see what has been killing your battery life, from the screen   you will be able to see that the back-light is actually one of the culprits.
        - solution : on settings- display- brightness, and turn it down to the lowest acceptable level.
   2) Disable or remove applications that you are not using, turn off wifi, bluetooth, GPS.
   3) Plug your cell phone whenever you can, and if you can afford it, try setting it off while charging, it actually charges faster when turned off.
   4) Use simple ringtones and turn off vibration. 

   NOTE: Dearmum does not claim to be an expert on anything, all of the information mentioned in this article are based on personal experiences and research.


   

The cold and blue life at sea.. are you ready to embrace this challenge?

   One of the most sought after jobs in the Philippines is that of a seafarer, why wouldn't it be? it is a decent job which promises a stable career to anyone who is dedicated enough to endure the challenges associated with it. You have free accommodation, free meals, good pay. But what are these so called challenges?

    Ship jobs is considered to be one of the many hazardous jobs in the world.
    Among the many possible dangers are:
  1. Crew being exposed to fall and drowning hazards while releasing their vessel from dock or on extreme weather conditions.
  2. Those whose job orders include working with mooring lines, while aware of the possible dangers of their work still encounter problems or accidents, since these cables are high tension wires and can snap or break under excessive stress.
  3. Those working on chemical tanker ships on the other hand can be exposed to harmful chemicals due to inhalation, while some suffer burn related incidents involving the same.
  4. Human error- remember titanic? but most recently the Italian Luxury liner Costa Concordia which ran aground off the coast of Italy on January 13.
5. Motion sickness-  if you are one of those who has motion sickness this could also be one of your biggest setback since the ship is moving most of the time.

   There are actually a lot more dangers associated with this job, but these are only which involves physical challenges, but what about the mental and emotional challenges that every seafarer has to face whenever on board?
   1. Homesickness- it is human nature to long for your family especially if you're away most months of the year. The hardest of all to overcome I believe. So here are some of the possible problems which could arise out of this nostalgic mood.
     - Alcohol related problems- some people tend to seek temporary relief on alcohol for their sadness and further result to inadequacies at work or quarrel with a co worker.
     - Sleep deprivation - some would literally spend time wondering about their family back home which could lead to lack of sleep.
     - Sexual promiscuity and its health risks- though seamen today are much more educated on the dangers involved, when it comes to engaging in such an activity? still, one can only wonder if this problem will ever be eradicated.

 So you see, this career is certainly not for the weak or the fainthearted, it is for the tough and the strong.
 So here's a toast and a salute to our brave modern heroes, who sacrificed a lot for their families.
 I should know because... among life's greatest irony? I happen to be married to one.

                                " If Prayers can move mountains, then so shall calm seas"
  
  

basil's sweet surprise!

   My niece sent me a message today asking me about the recipe of spicy tuna pesto spaghetti, and since one of the main ingredient of this delicious pasta dish is basil, I thought of talking about it today and share with you guys my affection to this super herb.
  Ahhh basil!  the almighty herb! with its rich flavor and aroma, but did you also know that this mighty herb has more health benefits to offer? I bet you'll love this herb even more.
   Basil boasts of its anti inflammatory and antibacterial properties, not to mention it is also high in antioxidants. These antioxidants can help protect our body from free radical damage associated with aging and most forms of cancer.

Among its many healing benefits are:

1. Reducing fever- boiling leaves with cardamom in about 2 quarts of water, then mixed with sugar and milk, brings down temperature.
2. Coughs- chewing on basil leaves can relieve colds and flu symptoms.
3. Sore throat- boil basil leaves in water and use it as a gargle to relieve sore throat.
4. Respiratory diseases- boil basil leaves in honey and ginger is useful in treating asthma, bronchitis, and influenza.
5. Kidney stones- basil leaves is useful to strengthen kidneys. The juice of basil leaves mixed with honey and taken for about 6 months is said to expel kidney stones from the urinary tract.
6. Heart problems- basil can also reduce cholesterol and can be used to strengthen those weakened by heart disease.

   There are still many more benefits of basil from healing skin disorders to insect bites and mouth disorders, but my favorite is basil as being an anti stress agent, chewing on about twelve basil leaves twice a day can prevent stress, purify the blood and help prevent many other common ailments.
   I so love this herb dearly I decided to grow my own, thanks to my very good friend who sent me seeds to grow.. on my own little pot!

back on track..

   Hello world wide web! did you miss me?  I guess not much huh? its been ages since I last blogged, I was just starting and I quit already? The truth is... I got cold feet.
   There has been unexpected reversal of circumstances in my life, that's how I would want to put it, left me in complete awe, caught me unaware, and led me to self doubt and hating, to the extent that I just couldn't write anything nice anymore, didn't want my readers to catch the "dark age" of my life and honestly? I never thought that I would ever think of writing again, but if there is one thing that I've learned from this unfortunate event in my life, it has to be that time alone doesn't heal all wounds,  after all our perception of time differs right? if I would wait for time to heal my pain, it could take eternity and I would probably still hurt, I may have dropped my passion for writing in a while,  but my interest in reading? never!  I just kept on reading and reading about almost anything under the sun, anything that could keep me occupied and not think of certain issues that makes me remember my pain is certainly worthwhile.
   One thing good about today's technology is you get very good information at the comfort of your own home, or mostly anywhere in this planet..as long as you have internet connection of course!     I sought solace online, and found it! time has nothing to do with it by the way!  What struck me the most was when I read about something that seem to be a tailor fit for me so believable that I really thought the author was referring to me, it says.. " if you  knew of someone who was going through a tough time, you would help them through it, so why not help yourself now?".  That seemed to shook me well, and from that moment on I started contemplating on what's bothering me and I just accepted it, let go and moved on..  it is my decision to end my misery.
   It is indeed true that humans were created to adapt to almost any kind of extreme situation, what's keeping us from recovering? is our own hesitation to adapt to what would be our "NOW".
   Everyone has struggles in life, has different cross to carry, what makes all the difference is how we handled those trials, after all, by anonymous, " Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional ", so starting today... I'm gonna love myself more, I'm gonna live my life and I'm gonna blog!